Box or case.



F. J. KRESS.

BOX 0R CASE.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 4, 1906.

Patent-,ea Nov.9, 1909.

HIHHHUM l HH mn FREDERICK J". KRESS, OFPITTSBURG', PENNSYLVANIA.

BOX OR CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

Application led August 4, 1906. Serial No. 329,251.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK J. KRESS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes or Cases, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to boxesor cases for the use of bottlers, and other purposes, and has for'its object to make the box separate to a certain extent or so that the entire box can be readily taken apart, or any portion of it replaced if broken.V Such boxes or cases are subject to rough usage and parts of them are frequently broken and require to be replaced; this occurs especially in the instance of the sides (front and back) and of the bottom.

The invention also comprises improved means whereby the partitions which separate the bottles may be held in place.

With such objects in view the invention consists in the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Iny order to make the invention more clearly understood I have shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical effect, without limiting my improvements, in their useful applications, to the particular construction which I have illustrated for the purpose of explaining the invention.

In said drawings-Figure 1 is a plan view of a box or case embodying the invention, with the lid raised. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the lower portion of the box on line I of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a horizontal section of one end of the box on line 2-2 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the lower corner stays. Referring to the drawings, A indicates the body of the box or case and B the cover connected with the case by sheet metal hinges C, and adapted to be held in a closed position by the securing device D or other suitable means. The said body is composed of ends 1, 1, sides 2, 2, and a bottom 3.

To give solidity and strength to the box the ends are formed, preferably, of thick material, such as pieces of wood Vseveneighths of an inch in thickness, and in these parts are formed hand holes 1 for lifting and transporting the box. The end pieces are thus made permanent in theircharacter under all ordinary conditions of usage, and relative to such end pieces the sides Vand bottom are removed and replaced as occasion requires, the connection between such other pieces and the ends being of a nature to -allow the ready performance of these operations. The means of connect-ion between the ends and the other parts are also of such character as to greatly strengthen the box, make it very durable and render the manu.- facture of the box inexpensive. f

At each end lower corner of the box is arranged a right angled metal stay 5 formed along its upper edge with anv inwardly turned flange 6 which engages in a horizontal groove 7 formed in ,the exterior surface of the end piece 1. Thisl flange extends from one to the other of the side pieces 2 but does not engage either of said side pieces, the flange being cut across as indicated at 8, and the portion of the flange beyond vsaid cuts being bent down as shown at 9 so as tolie flat against the end-surfaces of the sides'2.

10 is a vertically extending liange along the edge of the lower portion of the stay 5, which fits in a corresponding groove 11 in the bottom surface of the bottom 3.

12, 12 indicate lugs or tongues which are continuations of the lower portion of the stay and are adapted to be bent upward around the front and back edges, respectively, of the bottom-3 and are secured by suitable means to the solid andy thick end pieces 1. For thus securing the ends of the tongues 12 I prefer to employ the nails 13. It will be observed from the above construction that the'bottom 3 may be readily removed in case it is damaged by drawing the nails 13 at either the front or the back of the box and bending down the corresponding tongues 12, whereupon the bottom piece may be slid along the flanges 10 and removed without disturbing any other part of the box, and a new bottom may be inserted by the reverse of these operations.

At each vertical corner of the box is applied a right angled metal stay 14 formed with an inturned iange 15 engaging a groove 16 in the outer face of the end piece, and formed with allange 17 at its other edge to engage a corresponding groove 18 in the side piece 2. The stay 14 at its lower end abuts against the stay 5 and alsoreceives the nail 13 and strengthens the engagement of saidvnail with the end piece 1.

At the lupperend ofthe stay 1li is a tongue 19 which is a continuation of the side Vportion of the stay and `is adapted to :be-bent down and over the top edge of the side piece 2 so as to inclose the same and keep it from vertical movement away from the bottom 3,

against which the VVlower surface of the side piece abuts. The tongue 19 fits in .a recess 20Wformed in the top surface of 'the end piece 1 and is there suitably secured, as Hy' a ynail21'driven down into the end piece. From 'this construction Vit results-that either side piece can 'be readily removed in caseof damagey tothe same, by drawing thejnails 21 'and `bending up Vthe tongues 19 which. secure such damaged f piece, and athen *removing jthe latter 'by sliding it upward 'along the fianges 17 of the stays l4,the`side pieces having noconnecti'on with the bottom but being 'independent' thereof.

The vertical corner KYstays vli `are permanentlysecuredto the end pieces 1, 1 by nails 22, vand thev'lower corner stays 5 are'similarly'secured to the end pieces by'nails 23, but it "will be understood 1that other means of fastening, such as""screws, maybe .ernployed in place ofthe said nails 13, 21,22 and23.

lThe hinges C ofthe-cover arepreferably ofsuch nature 'as lto allow the cover to swing back from'over the rear side rpiece so as 'to allow the removal and 'replacement of the "latter as above described. The said A hinges 'are formed of sheet metal cut and driven in a vertical direction.

bent from a single flatblank so asto form a horizontal top flange'24 and a'bottomflange 25 between which flanges the cover B heldand into whichnails or screws 26 `are Connected with the top'flange 24 along the bent vangle 27 lis the'vertical side piece 28'of the yhinge of triangular shape and extending'down on the'outer sides of the'ends 1 for asuflicient distance yto cause the'cover vB to clear the rear'side :piece 1 when the cover is raised- Attheir lower ends the-side pieces`28 of the two hinges are pivotally connected with'the rear vertical stays ltby horizontal transverse nails'29 driven through said staysand intothe end pieces 1. The bottom liange 25 of thehinge is cut out of the middle portion of the sidev piece 28 and is bent inward along the angle 30, as seen in Fig. 5.

Beforethe cover is attached, or after its removal by Ldrawing the nails 29, Lthe vbox maybe completely knocked down by withdrawing both of the side pieces 2 and the bottom 3 in themanner already described, and the box may be manufactured and shipped inthis condition, and very simple and easily performedoperations suffice -to assemble the 'parts ready for use. When the box is to be, repaired, as already described, ithe parts which are not yremoved preserve "their arrangement `and rigidity.

The side pieces 28 of .the 4hinges are .preferably secured to the cover by horizontal snails 31.

I prefer to provide the box thus construct- `:ed 'with interior partitions of the usual -character, but such partitions are held in placeonlylby the end pieces 1 andthe bottom 3. For this purpose the interior faces o'f the ends '1 are v`formed with vertical gitudinal partitions 33 `interlock with fthev transverse partitions 35 inthe usual manner and hold the latter vdown against 'the bottom 3` but without interlocking withsaid bottom, which is thus left free to be removed horizontally. lAlso 4'the -ends vvof the *transverse'pja-ititions 35fdo `notinterlock with the sides 2 'but leave the latter free toslide'vertically. "The'end pieces 11 and iside pieces 2 having jbeen lunited kas .already described the partitions areput in lace Lfrom the `bottom of the box, the endso 'the longitudinal partitions sliding inward alongithe grooves '532 and the "bottom 3 `is then slid into place along the iangeslO.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim and desire to secure by iLetters yPatcntis- 1. In la separable -or 'knock-down box or case, 'the combination of the end pieces lhaving horizontal corner stays permanently attached along the-irlower edges, thefhorizontally slidable grooved bottom, and lsuitable side pieces resting on and lindependent 'of the said bottom,the said corner stays having upwardly turned flanges which Aengage within Vthe grooves-of the bottom land having tongues 12 which are bent around 'the edges `of the bottom vand are attachedat their extremities to the'end pieces, substantiallyas set forth.

2. lIn a separable `or knock-down box or case, the combination of vthe fend pieces formed with' the interior vertical grooves `32, the interior kpartitions engaging the `said grooves by their ends, the horizontal bottom corner1yr stays attached'to the endpieces andhaving upwardly extending flanges and the horizontally slidable 'bottom .having lexterior grooves in which said flanges 'engage to Vpermit the horizontal sliding of thef'bottom, the said partitions being confined betweenthe bottom andthe upper ends of the said grooves inthe endpieces, substantially as set forth. p

r3. lIn a separable or knock-down boxor case, the combination .of end pieces,^a^slid able bottom piece extending to the'endsof the case underfthelower edges of'the'en'd pieces, independent of'thelatter, and having vgrooves on its under face jparallel with the"end'pieces,' side pieces'l resting onithetbotico rio

tom piece, independent thereof, and having vertical grooves 18, vertical corner stays permanently attached to the end pieces and having flanges 17 engaging the grooves of the side pieces, and bottom corner stays also permanently attached to the end pieces and having upwardly extending flanges engaging the grooves of the bottom piece, substantially as set forth.

et. In a separable or knock-down box or case, the combination of end pieces, a horirontally slidable bottom piece extending to the ends of the case under the lower edges of the end pieces, independent of the latter, and having grooves on its under face parallel with the end pieces and removable by sliding forward or backward parallel with the end pieces, side pieces resting on the bottom piece, independent thereof, and having vertical grooves, vertical corner ,stays permanently attached to the end pieces and having flanges engaging the grooves of the side pieces, and bottom corner stays also permanently attached to the end pieces and having upwardly extending flanges engaging the grooves of the bottom piece, said corner stays having tongues bent over the edges of the bottom and side pieces respectively and attached to the end pieces, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK J. KRESS. Vitnesses:

LUKE A. EGER, JOHN Gr. QUrNN. 

